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A Secluded Country House with Lush Landscaping in Westchester County, New York

A gardener’s paradise surrounds a renovated stone barn where traditional and contemporary co-exist

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Listing of the Day

Location: Pound Ridge, New York

Price: $2.995 million

This renovated stone barn estate sprawled across six acres in the New York City suburbs is the perfect secluded retreat to inspire creative minds.

The lush landscaping is the undeniable star of the property, said Gay Prizio at Houlihan Lawrence.

Current owners Madeline and George Long have cultivated the grounds into a fragrant garden, featuring apple trees, boxwoods and a host of perennials, including daffodils, lilacs, roses, peonies and hydrangeas. A short stone wall and winding stone steps round out the expansive lawn.

When "everything is blooming, you just feel like you’re far, far away," Ms. Prizio said. "It’s well manicured but also organic."

The Longs purchased the property in northeastern Westchester County in 2002, initially as a weekend house to relax in after long work weeks in New York City. Now that their son has graduated from college, they plan to downsize; they already spend winters in Florida, Mrs. Long said.

A former design director who built a second career as a painter, Mrs. Long said she transformed one room of the house into her studio, but it could also be used as an office, a nursery or another bedroom.

"It’s a great house for a family with older children," she said, because the master bedroom suite is privately situated on the second floor with three other bedrooms on the third floor.

Stats

The 6,244-square-foot main house has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and a powder room.

Toward the front of the main house, a freestanding stone and slate studio—originally built as an artist’s work space for a former owner, the sculptor Miles Slater—has been retrofitted as a personal gym.

A detached guest cottage with a barn-style-beamed ceiling features a full bath, stone fireplace and cabana with outdoor shower.

More:A Red-Brick Victorian Home in London with Its Own Walled Garden

Amenities

The main house features four fireplaces and a bar room with ample space for wine refrigeration and storage. The guest cottage also has its own raised-hearth stone fireplace.

The residence sits on six meticulously landscaped acres that include a manmade koi pond, complete with water lillies. Outside amenities include an in-ground pool and an entertaining terrace.

There is a two-car attached garage.

Design pedigree

The Longs have taken pains to renovate and decorate in a style that reflects their artistic sensibilities and also showcases the beautiful original features of the home, like the wood beams in the traditional living room. Architect Tasos Kokoris worked with the Longs on the expansion project.

The addition created a large office with recessed wood bookcases and a large Palladian window that provides views of the surrounding greenery. Other renovations include the interior of the chef’s kitchen and the enclosed dining room.

Signorello of Westport, a now-defunct Connecticut furniture seller, provided many of the furnishings, including the glass-topped dining table and the master bedroom set. Furnishings may be included as part of a negotiation with a buyer, Mrs. Long said.

Outside, the next owner will inherit a seasonal display of pink, white and purple perennial blooms that were nurtured by Pound Ridge Nursery and Prado Landscape.

More:An Amenity-Rich House Surrounded by Gardens—In the Heart of Paris

Celebrity cachet

Built in 1935, the house was originally home to Hollywood filmmaker D.W. Griffith, who directed the notorious film "Birth of a Nation."

Neighborhood notes

The property is located less than three miles from downtown Pound Ridge, which boasts the upscale eatery the Inn at Pound Ridge, led by the French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. There’s access to outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing and cross-country skiing in nearby Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Several golf courses are within a short drive. And for commuters and nightlife seekers, the train from nearby Stamford, Connecticut, will get thee to Manhattan in about an hour.

Agent: Susan Stillman, Houlihan Lawrence

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